Gun with safety member mounted therein

ABSTRACT

A one-piece plastic safety for an air operated pellet gun operable by cocking linkage to prevent inadvertent firing of the gun and being rotatable within a guideway and an access slot, during an assembly operation, between an assembly position permitting insertion and removal of the safety member and an assembled operating position frictionally resiliently retained in the guideway and slot and being slidable between a blocking position and a release position relative to the firing mechanism of the gun.

1e tates atent 1191 [111 3,

Fleming et al. [45] O t, 8, 1974 [5 GUN WITH SAFETY MEMBER MOUNTED 1,156,222 10/1915 Giddings 42/43 THERElN 1,945,150 l/1934 Lorenz et a1 46/169 R 2,546,682 3/1951 Wilhelm 46/169 R Inventors: Donald g; Lee E Garmon, 3,130,513 4/1964 KnOCle, Jr 42/70 E Jr.; Melvin L. Simpson, all of Rogers, Primary Examiner-Richard C. Pinkham [73] Assignee: Victor Comptometer Corporation, Asslsmm "R Stouffe' Chicago, L Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Bruce G. Klaas PP 146,880 A one-piece plastic safety for an air operated pellet gun operable by cocking linkage to prevent inadver- 521 11.s.c1. 124/14, 42/70 E, 124/40 tent firing of the gun and being rotatable Within a 51 1m. 01. F4lb 11/00, F410 17/02 guideway and an access 8109 during an assembly Oper- [58] Field 0f Search 124/14, 15, 30, 31, 40; ion, between an assembly Position Permitting inser- 42/7O R, 70 E tion and removal of the safety member and an assembled operating position frictionally resiliently retained [56] References Cited in the guideway and slot and being slidable between a UNITED STATES PATENTS blocking position and a release position relative to the firing mechanism of the gun. 206,217 7/1878 Borchardt 42/70 E 906,309 12/1908 Schobbert 124/15 9 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures GUN WITH SAFETY MEMBER MOUNTED THEREIN BACKGROUND, PRIOR ART, AND SUMMARY or INVENTION,

The general concept of an automatic safety operable when a gun is cocked has long been known in the firearm art as shown by U.S. Pat. Nos. 859,477, 1,091,190, 2,000,858, and 2,572,176. In addition, the specific application of such an automatic safety in an air gun is shown by U.S. Pat. Nos. 944,188, 1,067,984, 1,509,257, and 2,685,284. Automatic safety apparatus as known in the prior art appears to have included only relatively complicated mechanisms requiring relatively close tolerance parts and relatively difficult assembly operations.

It is the primary object of the present invention to provide a new and improved automatic safety comprising only one relatively inexpensive part associated with other parts of the gun in a manner permitting wide tolerance variations and after the other parts of the gun have been assembled in a conventional manner without involving changes in part relationships or assembly procedures. To this end, the present invention comprises a one-piece molded plastic safety member releasably slidably mounted in aligned guide slots in a gun housing and being slidably movable therein between a trigger blocking position and a trigger releasing position automatically by cam engagement with a cocking lever and manually by finger pressure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a side elevational view, partially in section, of a portion of an air gun embodying the inventive concepts; 2

FIG. 2 is a partial side elevational view of the appara tus of FIG. 1, with parts removed, showing the relationship of the parts during a cocking cycle;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view along line 3-3 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged side elevational view of a safety member associated with the apparatus of FIGS. l-3;

FIG. 5 is an end view of the safety member of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 6 is a top view of the safety member of FIG. 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION In General Referring now to FIG. 1, the inventive concepts are illustratively embodied in an air gun comprising a sheet metal housing means 10 enclosing gun firing means 12 releasable from a latched cocked position, as shown in FIG. 1, by rearward pulling of trigger means 14 which cams sear means 16 rearwardly and releases the firing means for movement to a forwardly extended firing position under the influence of spring means (not shown). A pivotally mounted cocking lever means 18 is provided to engage the firing means, as shown in FIG. 2, and return it to the rearwardly retracted cocked position during a cocking cycle. A safety member 20 is mounted in a slot on the side of the housing means adjacent the trigger means and extends into the housing means between the cocking lever means and the trigger means for cooperable engagement therewith as will be hereinafter described in greater detail.

Housing Means The housing means 10 is formed from sheet metal and, as shown in FIG. 3, comprises a top wall portion 22 and a bottom wall portion 23 and spaced substantially flat side wall portions 24, 25. An elongated channel-shaped support member 26 is fixedly mounted on the bottom andcentrally located within the housing.

The support member has a generally U-shaped cross-' sectional configuration defined by spaced side wall portions 27, 28 extending generally parallel to the housing side wall portions 24, 25 and a connecting portion 29 which is slotted to receive the upper portion of the cocking lever 18, the trigger 14, and the sear 16 therewithin. A rectangular safety access slot 30 is formed in one side wall 24 of the housing and comprises parallel horizontally extending upper and lower edges 31, 32, FIG. 3, and front and rear vertically extending parallel side surfaces 34, 36, FIG. 2. Corresponding transversely aligned and somewhat enlarged safety access slots 38, 40 are formed in the parallel side walls 27, 28 of the support member 26. The bottom edges of the slots 38, 40 are turned outwardly to form flanges 46, 48 providing coplanar safety support surfaces 50, 52 coplanar with bottom edge 32 of slot 30 to define a guideway for the safety member.

Firing Means Firing means 12 comprises a plunger rod 54 which is connected to a plunger (not shown) operable in an air chamber (not shown) to compress air by which a pro jectile is fired from the gun. A cam plate 56 is releasably engageable with the sear in the retracted firing position and with the cocking lever during a cocking cycle. The firing means is conventional and well known in the art and the inventive concepts are considered to be applicable to other types of firing means and other types of guns as well.

Cocking Lever Means Cocking lever means 18 comprises a hand gripping portion 58 (partially shown in FIG. 1), a trigger well 60, and a cam portion 62 having a firing means engaging cam surface 64 and a safety engaging cam surface 66 which terminates rearwardly in a transverse abutment shoulder 68 for a purpose to be hereinafter described. The cocking lever means is pivotally connected at 69 to the gun housing for movement between the retracted stowed firing position of FIG. 1 and a forwardly extended cocking position whereat cam plate 56 is releasably engaged with the sear l6.

Trigger-Sear Means The trigger means 14 is a bifurcated sheet metal member having spaced parallel flange portions 70, 72 pivoted at 74 for movement between a forward cocked position and a rearward firing position and connected by a web portion 75. A finger gripping portion 76 extends into the trigger cavity 60 through a suitable opening in the bottom of the gun housing. A portion of the trigger extends forwardly between the side walls 27, 28 of the support member 26 and is provided with a transverse safety notch 77 defining a downwardly facing abutment surface 78 extending generally parallel to the support surfaces 50, 52 in the forward cocked position in which the trigger is normally positioned by any suitable spring means 80 which may be a single spring acting through the sear 16 or a separate spring for each of the sear and trigger. The sear is mounted within the side walls 70, 72 of the trigger and engages it at 82 whereby rearward movement of the trigger against the bias of spring 80 cams the sear rearwardly about pivot 74 to disengage a sear projection 84 from restraining engagement with cam flange 56.

Safety Means The safety means comprises a one-piece molded plastic (Delrin being presently preferred) member comprising a finger gripping exterior portion 85, a support bar portion 86, and a retaining flange portion 88 as shown in detail in FIGS. 3-5. A flat transverse abutment surface 90, having a periphery sufficiently larger than the access slot so as to cover the opening in all operative positions of the safety, faces the retaining flange portion 88 and the support bar portion 86 which are centrally integrally connected thereto. A rectangular guide rim 92 having flat parallel upper and lower surfaces 94, 96 and flat parallel side surfaces 98, 100 is next adjacent the flat transverse abutment surface 90. Surfaces 94, 96 are spaced apart a distance approximately equal to the distance between side edges 31, 32 of the slot 30 so as to be slidably guideably received therebetween in the assembled position whereat side surfaces 98, 100 are adapted to abut the front and rear side edges 34, 36 of the access slot 30 in a forwardly displaced trigger release position of the safety and a rearwardly displaced trigger blocking position of the safety, respectively. The distance between the side surfaces 98 and 100 is less than the distance between the edges 34, 36 to permit the aforedescribed sliding movement.

A mounting surface 102 is next adjacent and separated from the guide surface 92 by an abutment surface 103. Surface 102 has a generally eliptical crosssectional configuration defined by opposite concentric curved assembly ramp portions 104, 106 which have a common center along central axis 107, and generally flat upper and lower portions 108, 110 and side portions 112, 114. The side surfaces 108, 110 are spaced apart the same distance and form a continuation of the side surfaces 94, 96 of the guide rim 92. The side surfaces 1 12, 114 are spaced apart a distance substantially less than the distance between the side surfaces 98, 100 and equal to the spacing between side surfaces 94, 96 and 108, 110 for a purpose to be hereinafter described.

The retaining flange portion 88 includes a portion 116 extending generally vertically in parallel spaced relationship to the abutment surface 90 and a transversely extending portion 118 extending toward the abutment surface 90 and terminating in an abutment surface 120 spaced closely adjacent abutment surface 90 and located thereabove so as to be resiliently deflectable away from abutment surface 90 in the assembled position whereat the wall of the housing adjacent the upper edge 31 of the access slot 30 is sandwiched between abutment surfaces 90, 120. The edges 121, 122 of the portion 18 are inclined for a purpose to be hereinafter described.

Support bar portion 86 is elongated a distance sufficient to traverse the slots 38, 40 in side wall portions 27, 28 of support member 26 and comprises a bottom support surface 123 adapted to engage abutment surfaces 50, 52, a forwardly facing inclined cam surface 124 adapted to be engaged by cam surfaces 66, 68 of the cocking lever 18, and a flat upwardly facing abutment surface 124 adapted to abuttingly engage abutment surface 78 of trigger 14 in a blocking position. As shown in FIG. 4, the bottom support surface 123 and the upper abutment surface 124 are formed so as to be inclined relative to a plane 126 transverse to the plane of abutment surface whereby after assembly the support bar portion will be upwardly deflected with support surface 123 and abutment surface 124 resiliently upwardly deflected and held in planes generally perpendicular to the plane of the abutment surface 90 thereby urging the retaining flange portion 88 upwardly and forwardly to increase the frictional engagement between abutment surface 120 and the side wall of the housing.

Assembly and Operation During assembly, the support bar portion 86, flange portion 88, and mounting surface 102 of the safety member 20 are inserted through slots 30, 38, 40, in a position turned 90 relative to its normal operating position in the gun so as to permit insertion of the retaining flange portion 88, which is longer than the distance between slot edges 31, 32, through the elongated part of the access slot 30 between slot edges 32, 34 until the adjacent side wall 24 of the housing surrounding the access slot 30 comes into abutting engagement with the abutment surface 103 between mounting surface 102 and guide surface 92. Then the safety member is turned 90 in the access slot to the operating position with flange portion 88 being resiliently inwardly cammed as one of inclined surfaces 121, 122 is brought into engagement with the inner side surface of side wall 24 to bring the coplanar guide surfaces 94, 96 and slide surfaces 108, 110 into alignment with access slot guide surfaces 31, 32 whereupon the retaining flange portion 88 snaps the safety member inwardly into assembled position in the access slot with surfaces 94, 96 slidably supported by surfaces 31, 32. The retaining flange portion securely holds the safety member in the operating position and frictionally retains the safety member in either a forward release position or a rearward blocking position until deliberately moved by finger pressure or the cocking lever. The desired tightness of the assembly and frictional retention of the safety member in the release position and the blocking position is further facilitated by resilient upward deflection of the support bar portion 86 caused by engagement by the inclined support surface 123 with the flat coplanar support surfaces 32, 50, 52.

In operation, the safety is slidably manually movable from a release position at the front of the access slot with surface 98 in engagement with slot surface 34 to a blocking position at the rear of the access slot with abutment surface in engagement with slot edge 36. In the blocking position, rearward pulling of the trigger is prevented by abutting engagement between trigger surface 78 and safety surface 124.

In the forward released position of the safety, cam surface 68 on cocking lever 18 extends generally parallel to cam surface 124 on the support bar portion so that pivotal forward movement of the cocking lever causes engagement between surfaces 68, 124 to cam the safety member rearwardly to the blocking position to provide an automatic safety arrangement every tme the gun is cocked. Abutment surface 66 on the upper end of the cocking lever engages the cam surface 124 during the entire cocking cycle so that the safety cannot be inadvertently moved back to the release position during a cocking cycle. Consequently, the gun cannot be fired accidentally or inadvertently during the cocking cycle due to abutment surface 66 nor after the cocking cycle without being deliberately moved to the release position by the shooter.

Since the inventive concepts and principles may be otherwise variously embodied, it is intended that the appended claims be construed to include alternative embodiments in addition to the illustrative embodiment hereinbefore described except insofar as limited by the prior art.

We claim:

1. A gun comprising:

housing means enclosing the gun mechanism, projectile firing means in said housing means movable between a cocked position and a firing position, cocking means operable to move the firing means to the cocked position,

trigger means releasably associated with the firing means in the cocked position and operable to release the projectile firing means for movement to the firing position,

a guideway within said housing means between said cocking means and said trigger means,

a safety slot in said housing means, said safety slot being spaced laterally opposite from said guideway in a direction away from the longitudinal axis of the gun, and

a safety member being resiliently deflectable at least in part and mounted in said slot and extending into said guideway between said cocking means and said trigger means and being frictionally slidably retained in said slot and on said guideway only by resilient deflection and frictional engagement with said housing means and movable between a blocking position in engagement with said trigger means preventing operation of said trigger means and release of the projectile firing means and a release position permitting operation of said trigger means causing the gun to be fired.

2. The invention as defined in claim 1 and further comprising:

a cam surface on said safety member engageable with said cocking means during movement of the firing means to the cocked position to cause movement of the safety member to the blocking position.

3. The invention as defined in claim 1 and wherein said safety member comprising:

a bar portion having a cam surface engageable with said cocking means to cause movement of said safety member to the blocking position and an abutment surface engageable with said trigger means in the blocking position to prevent release of said firing means, a slide surface engageable with said guideway to slidably support said safety member for movement between the blocking position and the release position, a resilient flange portion located inside said housing means adjacent said slot and having an abutment surface engageable with 6 an ad acent inside surface of said housing means to hold said safety member in said slot and said guideway, and

a finger gripping portion located outside said housing means for manual actuation of said safety member.

4. The invention as defined in claim 3 and wherein said slot being elongated and having opposite parallel side edges and end edges,

said safety member further comprising:

a support surface between said flange portion and said gripping portion engaging said opposite side edges of said slot and slidably supporting said safety member in said slot.

5. The invention as defined in claim 4 and said safety member further comprising:

said support surface extending about and being located transversely beyond said bar portion and being generally elliptical with opposite side edge engaging portions spaced apart a distance approximately equal to the distance between the side edges of said slot and connected to and by opposite curved ramp portions permitting insertion of the bar portion and the flange portion through said slot in an assembly position turned relative to the assembled position and then turning of said member on said curved ramp portions 90 to bring said side engaging portions into supporting engagement with the side edges of said slot and to bring said flange portion into engagement with said housing means adjacent said slot.

6. The invention as defined in claim 3 and wherein said slide surface being inclined relative to said finger gripping portion in an unstressed unassembled condition and resiliently deflected relative to said finger gripping portion in an assembled position in said slot and said guideway to exert a resilient retaining force between said safety member and said housing means maintaining the safety member in close fitted sliding engagement with said housing means in said slot and said guideway and frictionally retaining said safety member in the release position and in the blocking position until moved to the blocking position by the cocking means during a cocking cycle or moved manually between the blocking position and the release position.

7. The invention as defined in claim 3 and wherein said safety member comprises a one-piece molded plastic part.

8. A gun comprising: housing means enclosing gun firing mechanism including trigger means operable to fire the gun and cocking means operable to prepare the gun for firing, a safety guideway and an access slot in said housing means, a one-piece molded plastic safety member being rotatable within said guideway and said access slot during an assembly operation between an assembly position permitting insertion and removal of the safety member and an assembled operating position frictionally resiliently retained in the guideway and slot and being slidable between a blocking position and a release position relative to the firing mechanism of the gun and comprising:

a finger receiving button portion located outside said housing means for manual manipulation of the safety member between the release position and the blocking position,

a transverse flat abutment surface on said button portion facing and engaging an outer surface of said housing means and being larger in surface area than said access slot and covering said access slot in all assembled operating positions,

a guide rim next adjacent said button portion having opposite slide surfaces spaced apart a distance approximately equal to the distance between opposite edges of said access slot and being slidably supported thereby,

mounting surface next adjacent and peripherally smaller than said guide rim at least in part and having opposite inclined ramp portions engageable with the opposite edges of said access slot during assembly and facilitating rotation of said safety member from the assembly position to the assembled operating position,

a resilient retaining flange portion next adjacent said mounting surface and extending beyond said access slot and outwardly toward said housing means adjacent said access slot and being engageable with the inner surface of said housing means and exerting an inwardly directed force on said safety memher causing said guide rim to be moved into said access slot during assembly when the safety member is rotated to the operating position and resiliently holding said safety member in the assembled operating position, and

an elongated bar portion next adjacent said flange portion and extending into said guideway and having a support surface slidably engageable with said guideway and a cam surface engageable with said cocking means of the gun and an abutment surface engageable with said trigger means of the gun.

9. The invention as defined in claim 8 and wherein said support surface of said bar portion is inclined relative to said abutment surface of said button portion so as to be resiliently deflected relative thereto by engagement with said guideway in the assembled operating position to further resiliently hold the safety member in the assembled operating position. 

1. A gun comprising: housing means enclosing the gun mechanism, projectile firing means in said housing means movable between a cocked position and a firing position, cocking means operable to move the firing means to the cocked position, trigger means releasably associated with the firing means in the cocked position and operable to release the projectile firing means for movement to the firing position, a guideway within said housing means between said cocking means and said trigger means, a safety slot in said housing means, said safety slot being spaced laterally opposite from said guideway in a direction away from the longitudinal axis of the gun, and a safety member being resiliently deflectable at least in part and mounted in said slot and extending into said guideway between said cocking means and said trigger means and being frictionally slidably retained in said slot and on said guideway only by resilient deflection and frictional engagement with said housing means and movable between a blocking position in engagement with said trigger means preventing operation of said trigger means and release of the projEctile firing means and a release position permitting operation of said trigger means causing the gun to be fired.
 2. The invention as defined in claim 1 and further comprising: a cam surface on said safety member engageable with said cocking means during movement of the firing means to the cocked position to cause movement of the safety member to the blocking position.
 3. The invention as defined in claim 1 and wherein said safety member comprising: a bar portion having a cam surface engageable with said cocking means to cause movement of said safety member to the blocking position and an abutment surface engageable with said trigger means in the blocking position to prevent release of said firing means, a slide surface engageable with said guideway to slidably support said safety member for movement between the blocking position and the release position, a resilient flange portion located inside said housing means adjacent said slot and having an abutment surface engageable with an adjacent inside surface of said housing means to hold said safety member in said slot and said guideway, and a finger gripping portion located outside said housing means for manual actuation of said safety member.
 4. The invention as defined in claim 3 and wherein said slot being elongated and having opposite parallel side edges and end edges, said safety member further comprising: a support surface between said flange portion and said gripping portion engaging said opposite side edges of said slot and slidably supporting said safety member in said slot.
 5. The invention as defined in claim 4 and said safety member further comprising: said support surface extending about and being located transversely beyond said bar portion and being generally elliptical with opposite side edge engaging portions spaced apart a distance approximately equal to the distance between the side edges of said slot and connected to and by opposite curved ramp portions permitting insertion of the bar portion and the flange portion through said slot in an assembly position turned 90* relative to the assembled position and then turning of said member on said curved ramp portions 90* to bring said side engaging portions into supporting engagement with the side edges of said slot and to bring said flange portion into engagement with said housing means adjacent said slot.
 6. The invention as defined in claim 3 and wherein said slide surface being inclined relative to said finger gripping portion in an unstressed unassembled condition and resiliently deflected relative to said finger gripping portion in an assembled position in said slot and said guideway to exert a resilient retaining force between said safety member and said housing means maintaining the safety member in close fitted sliding engagement with said housing means in said slot and said guideway and frictionally retaining said safety member in the release position and in the blocking position until moved to the blocking position by the cocking means during a cocking cycle or moved manually between the blocking position and the release position.
 7. The invention as defined in claim 3 and wherein said safety member comprises a one-piece molded plastic part.
 8. A gun comprising: housing means enclosing gun firing mechanism including trigger means operable to fire the gun and cocking means operable to prepare the gun for firing, a safety guideway and an access slot in said housing means, a one-piece molded plastic safety member being rotatable within said guideway and said access slot during an assembly operation between an assembly position permitting insertion and removal of the safety member and an assembled operating position frictionally resiliently retained in the guideway and slot and being slidable between a blocking position and a release position relative to the firing mechanism of the gun and comprising: a finger receiving button portion located outside said housing means for manuAl manipulation of the safety member between the release position and the blocking position, a transverse flat abutment surface on said button portion facing and engaging an outer surface of said housing means and being larger in surface area than said access slot and covering said access slot in all assembled operating positions, a guide rim next adjacent said button portion having opposite slide surfaces spaced apart a distance approximately equal to the distance between opposite edges of said access slot and being slidably supported thereby, a mounting surface next adjacent and peripherally smaller than said guide rim at least in part and having opposite inclined ramp portions engageable with the opposite edges of said access slot during assembly and facilitating rotation of said safety member from the assembly position to the assembled operating position, a resilient retaining flange portion next adjacent said mounting surface and extending beyond said access slot and outwardly toward said housing means adjacent said access slot and being engageable with the inner surface of said housing means and exerting an inwardly directed force on said safety member causing said guide rim to be moved into said access slot during assembly when the safety member is rotated to the operating position and resiliently holding said safety member in the assembled operating position, and an elongated bar portion next adjacent said flange portion and extending into said guideway and having a support surface slidably engageable with said guideway and a cam surface engageable with said cocking means of the gun and an abutment surface engageable with said trigger means of the gun.
 9. The invention as defined in claim 8 and wherein said support surface of said bar portion is inclined relative to said abutment surface of said button portion so as to be resiliently deflected relative thereto by engagement with said guideway in the assembled operating position to further resiliently hold the safety member in the assembled operating position. 